Enhanced visual feedback of interactions with user interface

• US 8,060,821 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2005
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Seymour, Eric, Aitken, Kevin B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): KEATON, SHERROD L
• Application Number:
  US11/298,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20070136692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,167 Days
• Field of Search: 715/744, 715/809, 715/715, 715/711, 715/835, 715/708, 715/802, 715/763, 715/739, 701/1, 704/275
• US Class Current: 715/711
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An item in a user interface is visually enhanced in response to an interaction with the item or in response to a request. In some implementations, the item (e.g., an icon, button, text, etc.) is visually enhanced and displayed in the user interface at a conspicuous location (e.g., the center of the user interface). Optionally, the user interface can be altered (e.g., darkened) to improve the visibility of the enhanced item. In some implementations, visual enhancement includes displaying enhanced feedback (e.g., text, data, graphical objects or images, etc.) associated with the item in a caption panel. The caption panel can display enhanced feedback associated with any items in the user interface and not just the item associated with a current user interaction. In some implementations, the user can interact with items (e.g., launch an application) from within an interaction panel.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, using one or more processing units, a request to visually enhance one or more items within a graphical interface, wherein each item includes one or more attributes, and wherein visually enhancing the one or more items includes modifying an attribute associated with each item;

determining, using the one or more processing units, enhanced feedback corresponding to the request, wherein determining enhanced feedback includes converting the request into a command that is mapped to a pre-determined output;

using, using the one or more processing units, the pre-determined output to generate a panel, wherein the panel is configured to be both a static caption panel or a dynamic interactive panel, wherein the pre-determined output in a dynamic interactive panel includes the visually enhanced one or more items, wherein activating a visually enhanced item in a dynamic interactive panel invokes an interaction event, and wherein each visually enhanced item in a dynamic interactive panel corresponds to an item within the graphical interface that is configured to invoke the same interaction event; and

invoking, using the one or more processing units, the interaction event when the panel is a dynamic interactive panel, wherein the interaction event is invoked using either the visually enhanced item or the corresponding item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is generated manually or automatically.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items are part of a desktop or generated by an application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein current interaction with the one or more items causes the one or more items to be visually enhanced.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the panel is displayed within a conspicuous location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein when the one or more items are visually enhanced, the graphical interface is simultaneously altered.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined output is from a plurality of sources that are concatenated or otherwise combined.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined output is parsed for symbols, and wherein parsing includes outputting a word or phrase that corresponds to a symbol.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the panel includes one or more modifiable attributes.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein enhanced feedback from similar or related requests is displayed in a common format.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the interaction event is an action or operation.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the interaction event is launching an application.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the interaction event includes an audio output.

14. A system, comprising:

one or more processors;

a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations, including;

receiving a request to visually enhance one or more items within a graphical interface, wherein each item includes one or more attributes, and wherein visually enhancing the one or more items includes modifying an attribute associated with each item;

determining enhanced feedback corresponding to the request, wherein determining enhanced feedback includes converting the request into a command that is mapped to a pre-determined output;

using the pre-determined output to generate a panel, wherein the panel is configured to be both a static caption panel or a dynamic interactive panel, wherein the pre-determined output in a dynamic interactive panel includes the visually enhanced one or more items, wherein activating a visually enhanced item in a dynamic interactive panel invokes an interaction event, and wherein each visually enhanced item in a dynamic interactive panel corresponds to an item within the graphical interface that is configured to invoke the same interaction event; and

invoking the interaction event when the panel is a dynamic interactive panel, wherein the interaction event is invoked using either the visually enhanced item or the corresponding item.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the request is generated manually or automatically.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more items are part of a desktop or generated by an application.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein current interaction with the one or more items causes the one or more items to be visually enhanced.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the panel is displayed within a conspicuous location.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein when the one or more items are visually enhanced, the graphical interface is simultaneously altered.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the pre-determined output is from a plurality of sources that are concatenated or otherwise combined.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the pre-determined output is parsed for symbols, and wherein parsing includes outputting a word or phrase that corresponds to a symbol.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein the panel includes one or more modifiable attributes.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein enhanced feedback from similar or related requests is displayed in a common format.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the interaction event is an action or operation.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the interaction event is launching an application.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the interaction event includes an audio output.

27. A computer-program product, tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

receive a request to visually enhance one or more items within a graphical interface, wherein each item includes one or more attributes, and wherein visually enhancing the one or more items includes modifying an attribute associated with each item;

determine enhanced feedback corresponding to the request, wherein determining enhanced feedback includes converting the request into a command that is mapped to a pre-determined output;

use the pre-determined output to generate a panel, wherein the panel is configured to be both a static caption panel or a dynamic interactive panel, wherein the pre-determined output in a dynamic interactive panel includes the visually enhanced one or more items, wherein activating a visually enhanced item in a dynamic interactive panel invokes an interaction event, and wherein each visually enhanced item in a dynamic interactive panel corresponds to an item within the graphical interface that is configured to invoke the same interaction event; and

invoke the interaction event when the panel is a dynamic interactive panel, wherein the interaction event is invoked using either the visually enhanced item or the corresponding item.

28. The computer-program product of claim 27, wherein the request is generated manually or automatically.

29. The computer-program product of claim 27, wherein the one or more items are part of a desktop or generated by an application.

30. The computer-program product of claim 27, wherein current interaction with the one or more items causes the one or more items to be visually enhanced.

31. The computer-program product of claim 27, wherein the panel is displayed within a conspicuous location.

32. The computer-program product of claim 27, wherein when the one or more items are visually enhanced, the graphical interface is simultaneously altered.

33. The computer-program product of claim 27, wherein the pre-determined output is from a plurality of sources that are concatenated or otherwise combined.

34. The computer-program product of claim 27, wherein the pre-determined output is parsed for symbols, and wherein parsing includes outputting a word or phrase that corresponds to a symbol.

35. The computer-program product of claim 27, wherein the panel includes one or more modifiable attributes.

36. The computer-program product of claim 27, wherein enhanced feedback from similar or related requests is displayed in a common format.

37. The computer-program product of claim 27, wherein the interaction event is an action or operation.

38. The computer-program product of claim 27, wherein the interaction event is launching an application.

39. The computer-program product of claim 27, wherein the interaction event includes an audio output.